
Leah Lively is a Shareholder in Buchalter’s Portland, San Diego and Seattle offices and a member of the Labor & Employment practice. She is licensed to practice law in CA, OR, WA, ID, and AK. Ms. Lively is an experienced litigator and counselor who has tried more than 40 jury trials in multiple states and jurisdictions during her career. Ms. Lively enjoys taking depositions and is known for her attention to detail and ability to out-maneuver the plaintiff, setting the stage for favorable client outcomes.
Ms. Lively’s employment practice centers on defending employers against claims of harassment, discrimination, retaliation, wrongful discharge, and wage and hour violations. When employers need to get ahead of potential disputes, Ms. Lively conducts workplace investigations and counsels businesses on employment law compliance, risk, and best practices.
In addition to her single-plaintiff employment claims experience, Ms. Lively has experience defending wage and hour claims, including class actions. She served as lead defense counsel in a putative wage/hour misclassification class action in Oregon and co-managed the defense of a 40,000 putative class-member case for a national restaurant chain in California.
Ms. Lively advises and represents clients in non-compete, trade secrets breach of contract, tortious interference with business, and defamation litigation.
Ms. Lively also is a member of Buchalter’s Equine Law Industry Group. She drafts boarding and sales contracts, advises clients on wage and hour compliance, and represents clients in litigation.
Awards & Recognitions
- Named as one of “America’s Leading Lawyers for Business” by Chambers USA in Labor & Employment (Oregon), 2008-2024
- Named as one of the “Best Lawyers in America” in Employment Law, 2011-present
- Selected to “Oregon Super Lawyers” in Employment Litigation, Thomson Reuters, 2011-2024
- AV Preeminent rated by Martindale-Hubbell
- Named “Lawyer of the Year” in Litigation – Labor and Employment (Oregon) by Best Lawyers, 2015
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04
Dec
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Leah Lively Quoted in Law360 Employment Authority
Press
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5 Wage Issues Trump’s Labor Secretary Will Inherit November 27, 2024By Max Kutner, Law360 Employment Authority President-elect Donald Trump’s next laborsecretary will face the task […]
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11
Oct
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Leah Lively Quoted in Law360 Employment Authority
Press
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Election Season Can Bring OT Issues For Campaigns, Parties October 10, 2024 By Max Kutner, Law360 Employment Authority “Campaigns also need to be careful when […]
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15
Aug
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Buchalter Attorneys Named 2025 Best Lawyers in America
Awards
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Buchalter, is pleased to announce that 99 lawyers have been included in the 2025 edition of The Best Lawyers in America®. Best Lawyers was founded […]
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23
Jul
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Buchalter Attorneys Named 2024 Oregon Super Lawyers and Rising Stars
Awards
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Buchalter is pleased to announce that Shareholders David Elkanich and Leah Lively, in the Firm’s Portland office, were named to the 2024 Oregon Super Lawyers […]
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06
Jun
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Buchalter Recognized by Chambers & Partners 2024 USA Guide
Awards
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June 6, 2024 Buchalter is pleased to announce that the following attorneys have been recognized by Chambers and Partners as “Leaders in Their Field”: Commercial […]
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20
Mar
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Leah Lively Quoted in Law360
Press
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11th Circ. Wage Ruling Highlights Volunteer Benefit Pitfalls March 20, 2024 By Max Kutner, Law360 “Leah Lively of Buchalter PC, who represents employers, said an […]
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14
Dec
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Leah Lively Quoted in Law360
Press
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Biggest Federal Wage-Hour Legislation Of 2023 December 13, 2023 By Max Kutner, Law360 Leah Lively of Buchalter PC, who represents employers, said she sees this […]
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24
Aug
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Leah Lively Quoted in Law360
Press
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Local Wage Law Waivers Offer Reprieve But Rarely Used August 24, 2023 By Max Kutner, Law360 “For employers who are not in a dire situation, […]
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17
Aug
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Buchalter Attorneys Named 2024 Best Lawyers in America
Awards
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Buchalter is pleased to announce over 80 of the Firm’s lawyers have been included in the 2024 edition of The Best Lawyers in America. Best […]
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25
Jul
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Buchalter Attorneys Named 2023 Oregon Super Lawyers
Awards
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Buchalter is pleased to announce that Shareholders David Elkanich and Leah Lively, in the Firm’s Portland, office were named to the 2023 Oregon Super Lawyers […]
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22
Jun
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Leah Lively Quoted in Law360 Employment Authority
Press
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4 Tips For Navigating The Wage Regulatory Landscape June 21, 2023 Law360 Employment Authority By: Max Kutner The government’s June 13 release of its twice-a-year […]
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05
Jun
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Leah Lively Quoted in Law360 Employment Authority
Press
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4 Issues Potentially Holding Up The DOL’s Overtime Rule May 31, 2023 Law360 Employment Authority By: Max Kutner The U.S. Department of Labor missed its […]
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02
Jun
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Buchalter Recognized by Chambers & Partners 2023 USA Guide
Awards
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June 1, 2023 Buchalter is pleased to announce that the following attorneys have been recognized by Chambers and Partners as “Leaders in Their Field”: California Commercial […]
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02
Dec
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Buchalter’s Equine Law Industry Group Featured on the Cover of The Equestrian Catalog
Press
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The Buchalter Equine Law Industry Group was featured on the cover and profiled in “The Equestrian Catalog.” “What makes Buchalter’s equine practice unique is that […]
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07
Sep
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Buchalter Launches New Equine Law Industry Group
Firm News
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Buchalter is excited to announce its recently launched Equine Industry Group, utilizing over 25 top legal professionals in across many different practice areas. The group […]
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06
Jul
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Buchalter Attorneys Named 2022 Oregon Super Lawyers
Awards
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Buchalter is pleased to announce that several attorneys in the Firm’s Portland office were named to the 2022 Oregon Super Lawyers list. These attorneys have […]
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18
May
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Buchalter Relocates to Fox Tower in Downtown Portland
Firm News
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18 May, 2022. Buchalter is pleased to announce its Portland office has relocated to occupy the 15th floor in Fox Tower in downtown Portland. With […]
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03
May
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Buchalter Welcomes New Shareholder in Portland
Firm News
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03, May 2022. Buchalter is pleased to welcome new Shareholder Leah Lively in the Firm’s Portland office as a member of the Labor & Employment […]
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Publication
A New Year Brings New Laws to Pacific Northwest Employers
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December 31st, 2024
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Publication
The Oregon Consumer Privacy Act (“OCPA”): What Businesses Need to Know
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December 9th, 2024
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Publication
A Game of Texas Hold’em: How Texas Stopped Wage Increases for Salaried Exempt Employees Nationwide
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November 27th, 2024
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Publication
U.S. Department of Labor Issues Guidance on Avoiding Discrimination When Using AI in Hiring
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October 7th, 2024
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Publication
The DOL Announces New Overtime Exemption Rule Increasing the Salary Threshold for Exempt Employees
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April 25th, 2024
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Publication
Washington State Imposes Further Restrictions on the Use of Noncompetition Agreements
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April 2nd, 2024
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Publication
Rounding Time Is No Longer a Safe Bet in Oregon and Washington
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February 7th, 2024
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Publication
The DOL Issues New Rule on Independent Contractor Classification
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January 12th, 2024
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Publication
New Year, New Employment Laws in the Pacific Northwest
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January 2nd, 2024
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Publication
Class Action Alert: Pay Transparency Class Actions Are Mounting in Washington
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October 23rd, 2023
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Publication
California Raises Minimum Wage for Health Care Workers
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October 18th, 2023
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Publication
What Does the EU-US Data Privacy Framework Mean for Your Business?
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October 10th, 2023
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Presentation
Buchalter Labor & Employment 2023 Seminar
October 25th, 2023
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Publication
Employer Notice: Pregnant Workers Gain Added Protections Under Federal Law
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June 29th, 2023
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Publication
Supreme Court Decision Impacts FLSA’s Overtime Rules
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February 28th, 2023
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Webinar
Class Action Alert—PNW Employers in the Crosshairs for Meal/Rest Period Claims
April 4th, 2023
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Presentation
Leah Lively, Speaker at the Washington Association of Corporate Counsel Employment Law Summit
January 26th, 2023
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Webinar
Practice Advice for Small and Medium Sized Businesses to Achieve CPRA Compliance
December 20th, 2022
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Presentation
Leah Lively, Presenter at Oregon Restaurant & Lodging Association Annual Conference
January 1st, 2010
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Presentation
Leah Lively, Presenter at 26th Annual Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries Employment Law Conference
January 1st, 2011
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Presentation
Leah Lively, Presenter at 27th Annual Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries Employment Law Conference
January 1st, 2011
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Presentation
Leah Lively, Presenter at Oregon Law Institute of Lewis & Clark Law School
January 1st, 2012
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Presentation
Leah Lively, Presenter at Oregon Chapter of the Association of Corporate Counsel
January 1st, 2012
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Presentation
Leah Lively, Presenter at ABA National Conference on Equal Employment Opportunity Law
January 1st, 2013
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Presentation
Leah Lively, Presenter at The Seminar Group Small Business Employment Law Issues Seminar
January 1st, 2013
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Presentation
Leah Lively, Presenter at American Employment Law Council
January 1st, 2013
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Presentation
Leah Lively, Presenter at Oregon Association of Corporate Counsel
January 1st, 2013
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Presentation
Leah Lively, Presenter at Oregon Association of Corporate Counsel
January 1st, 2014
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Presentation
Leah Lively, Presenter at American Employment Law Council 25th Annual Conference
January 1st, 2017
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Presentation
Leah Lively, Presenter at Davis Wright Tremaine Employment Seminar
March 18th, 2018
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Presentation
Leah Lively, Presenter at Davis Wright Tremaine Webinar
June 19th, 2018
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Presentation
Leah Lively, Presenter at Davis Wright Tremaine Webinar
June 25th, 2019
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Presentation
Leah Lively, Presenter at Davis Wright Tremaine Webinar
April 29th, 2021
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Presentation
Leah Lively, Presenter at Davis Wright Tremaine Webinar
August 4th, 2021
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Publication
Sexual Harassment 2018: It Is Your Business
December 12th, 2017
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Publication
10th Circuit: State’s Sexual Harassment Policy Results in Dismissal of Case Against Judge
October 5th, 2011
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Publication
New Laws Affecting Oregon Employers in 2010
January 5th, 2010
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Publication
The New ADA Amendments: Increasing the Burden on Employers
January 1st, 2009
- AssuredPartners v. Reese et al.: Defeated a motion for temporary restraining order brought be former employer to enforce a non-compete and alleging trade secrets violations. (D. Or.)
- Christian v. Umpqua Bank*: Obtained complete summary judgment and case dismissal for defendant in this federal case with alleged sexual harassment and retaliation claims. (D. Or.)
- Kouame v. DAL Global Services, LLC:* Obtained complete summary judgment and case dismissal for defendant in this federal case with alleged race and age discrimination and retaliation claims. (W.D. Wash.)
- Chapman v. Progress Rail*: Complete summary judgment granted for Progress Rail in this federal case alleging race discrimination, sexual harassment, and retaliation. (W.D. Wash.)
- Craig v. BNSF*: Obtained complete summary judgment and case dismissal for defendant in this federal case with alleged FMLA interference and retaliation claims. (W.D. Wash.)
- Bustos v. Aldis Manufacturing*: Lead trial lawyer for Aldis in this race/national origin, whistleblower, and retaliation case, resulting in a complete defense verdict. (D. Or.)
- Cedano v. Rite Aid*: Lead defense counsel for Rite Aid in this putative wage/hour class action which alleged misclassification of exempt employees. (D. Or.)
- Hohnbaum v. Brinker*: Defense of putative wage/hour class action alleging missed meal and rest breaks. (Cal. Super.)
- Holman v. Trammell Crow Company*: Trial counsel for Trammell Crow against claims of race and discrimination and retaliation, resulting in a complete defense verdict in a jury trial. (E.D. Pa.)
- McAllister v. Trendwest Resorts*: Represented Trendwest in a jury trial for alleged sexual harassment and discrimination claims, resulting in a complete defense verdict. (D. Or.)
- Wage and hour class action for national retailer*: One of three trial counsel representing a national retailer in wage/hour collective action jury trial involving over 100 testifying plaintiffs and resulting in 25 defense verdicts and actual damages of less than $7,000. (D. Or.)
*Denotes experience prior to joining Buchalter
Ms. Lively earned her J.D. from Lewis & Clark Law School in 1996 and her B.S. from California Polytechnic State University. While in law school, Ms. Lively was part of the National Champion Team, Environmental Moot Court, and Cornelius Honor Society.
- Director, Multnomah Bar Foundation (MBF), beginning January 1, 2022
- American Employment Law Counsel, 2010-present
- Director, Oregon Hunter Jumper Association